Oil and natural gas ranked the nation’s most important resource, and large majorities say energy independence makes America safer and the economy stronger.
New York, October 19, 2026. Sixty-seven percent of Americans say it is time for common-sense permitting reform so the nation’s energy infrastructure can meet growing electricity needs and make energy more affordable, according to a new national survey commissioned by the Council for a Secure America (CSA). Fewer than one in ten disagree.
Support rises with every generation: 57 percent of Gen Z, 62 percent of Millennials, 68 percent of Gen X and 79 percent of Baby Boomers. In the nine states CSA tracks most closely (Iowa, Indiana, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming), support reaches 68 percent.
Asked to name up to three resources most important to America’s economic growth and national security, respondents put oil and natural gas first at 46 percent. Fresh water followed at 41 percent, agricultural land and food production at 37 percent and renewable energy at 34 percent.
Majorities also tie energy independence directly to their own safety and their paychecks:
- 53 percent agree that America’s energy independence makes the country safer because it no longer relies on foreign countries for oil and natural gas. In CSA’s nine states, 57 percent agree, unchanged since June 2025.
- 57 percent agree that energy independence helps the economy grow by creating high-paying jobs, keeping foreign countries from spiking prices and keeping American dollars at home.
Men are the strongest supporters: 61 percent say energy independence makes America safer and 62 percent say it strengthens the economy.
“Americans want their energy to be produced at home. They don’t want to be dependent on foreign markets where governments may suddenly choose to turn off the supply, something Europeans who buy their natural gas from Russia are learning the hard way,” said Jennifer Sutton, Executive Director of the Council for a Secure America. “They rank oil and natural gas as our most important resource, and two out of three want Washington to clear the way for modern energy infrastructure. Electricity demand is climbing fast, and the permitting system we have now can’t keep up. Voters in every generation see that.”
The Council for a Secure America (CSA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that seeks to strengthen U.S. national security by educating on the inextricable link between U.S. energy security, national security, and diplomacy.